I Will Worship. I Will Serve You. I Will Not Faint.

Tag Archives: Gardner-Webb University

After a particularly sweet Christmas, the Groh family is here, there and yonder. I’m back at Gardner-Webb University and I start classes later today, Mommy’s back in Raleigh taking care of some last minute medical appointments for Granddaddy and Daddy’s back in Appleton bringin’ home the bacon.

We started out Christmas with a whirlwind tour of Washington, D.C. Mommy, Daddy and Grandma came up to pick me up from my semester, so we spent a few days exploring our nation’s capitol.

After a fantastic weekend, we drove home, slept and repacked, then drove to Florida the next day. While in Florida, we had lunch with my Great Aunt Ellen, went to Disney world with some sweet friends and explored Cocoa Beach (where I Dream of Jeannie was set).

On the way back home, we stopped in Charleston, SC. I loved the old homes and beautiful architecture (and the seafood wasn’t bad either).

The following day, two friends and I headed up to Roanoke, VA for a semi-surprise visit with Hannah (my old roommate) and her husband. I have missed that girl too stinkin’ much!

We hosted Christmas this year and things were surprisingly peaceful and fun.

After we ate, opened presents, ate some more, and opened even more presents, the “sisters” and their families went to see Les Misérables. OH MY GOODNES! Best movie of my LIFE… no exaggeration, I PROMISE!

I got to catch up with lots of sweet friends that I haven’t seen in a long time, and my family also spent time bonding over Downton Abbey.

All in all, this Christmas was probably the best break of recent years. Unfortunately, it has come to an end. It’s time to get back to reality and to tackle my next to last semester at Gardner-Webb.

I’m excited about all the experiences this semester should bring. I have a new roommate and am living on a new hall—both seem to be good changes (although I most certainly miss the old roommate immensely). I’m meeting with two editors from the Shelby Star next week about writing for them some this semester. I also am planning to continue interning in the University Relations Office on campus. I have some really interesting classes this semester, and I also get to have some professors that I really respect.

GARDNER-WEBB UNIVERSITY THEATER TO PRESENT “THE BURIAL AT THEBES” MARCH 2-6

BOILING SPRINGS, NC–Gardner-Webb University will present Seamus Heaney’s “The Burial at Thebes” March 2, 3, 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m., and March 4 at 2:30 p.m. at the Millennium Playhouse, located in the Communication Studies Hall. The play will be directed by James W. Thomas, interim dean of the School of Performing and Visual Arts at Gardner-Webb, and the sets designed by GWU’s award-winning technical director, Chris Keene.

The production will feature Gardner-Webb students and faculty, with special performances by communication studies professor Dr. Joseph Webb as the leader of the chorus, and longtime professional actor Dr. Earl Leininger, associate provost at Gardner-Webb, as Tiresias.

“The Burial at Thebes” is an adaptation of the Greek tragedy “Antigone,” written by Sophocles in the fifth century B.C. When Antigone’s brothers kill each other in brutal civil war, her ruling uncle Creon honors one with a decent burial, but insists, on penalty of death, that the other be left to rot in disgrace on the field. What follows is a daring collision of personal liberty and tyranny, religious conviction and legal oppression, and a sister’s heroism amidst her uncle’s stubborn resolve.

Although written within the context of ancient Greece, Thomas decided to set the play in modern Middle East. The script brings up timeless issues, said Thomas, ones that we are still dealing with today, making the setting particularly appropriate. “How much control does the state have over the individual rights? At what point does religious freedom end and the good of everyone else begin? These issues are prevalent in the play, and we hope the audience will notice their prevalence, also, in our everyday lives,” Thomas said.

Seamus Heaney, an Irish Nobel laureate, wrote “The Burial at Thebes” for Abbey Theater’s one-hundredth anniversary celebration. Initially skeptical about the potential for such a dated play, Heaney quickly discovered its contemporary relevance and pursued the project with passion. It was first performed in 2004, and has enjoyed rave reviews since.

Located in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb University seeks a higher ground in higher education – one that embraces faith and intellectual freedom, and inspires in students a love of learning, service, and leadership.